This was their eighth defeat in the last nine league matches at the Stadium Of Light, including four in succession.

This was Chelsea's seventh successive win on Wearside.

At least South Korean Ji maintaining a
scoring run which included two for his country during the week
prevented four on the trot without a Sunderland goal.

It also sparked a hectic final three
minutes which, it must be said, disturbed Chelsea's composure for the
first time in the match.

But to draw optimism from such a
token flurry would be to paper over undoubted cracks. And yet for all of
Chelsea's territorial command, they still should have been a goal down
in the 12th minute when Nicklas Bendtner wasted a great opportunity to
endear himself to his new band of followers.

Bendtner has undoubted assets which
will aid Sunderland in his season's loan from Arsenal, but his big
weakness is his consistent failure to profit from his ability not only
to take up good positions but also to out-jump even the most formidable
central defensive opponent.

Cue the inswinging free-kick from Seb
Larsson which Bendtner got on the end of with such effect that he only
had Petr Cech to beat.

The goalkeeper, back in action after a
knee ligament injury, was mightily relieved when the striker guided the
ball wide of his right-hand post.

Net result: Terry's effort just squeezes home to give Chelsea the advantage

'Nick had a great chance and you have to take chances like that against Chelsea,' said Bruce.

That was the sum total of Cech's
anxiety for all but the last minute of the first half, when he reacted
quickly to deal with a shot on the turn from Stephane Sessegnon.

The time in between was a reflection
of the enormous chasm which stretches between the Steve Bruce could gain
consolation from the injury-time goal that yesterday heralded Ji-Dong
Won's arrival in the Premier League.

Bossing it: Villas-Boas and Sunderland boss Bruce watch the action at the Stadium of Light

It made no difference to the destiny
of the three points but at least it erased one of a collection of
uncomfortable statistics involving his Sunderland team.

A little known US college professor
Aaron Levenstein once intoned: 'Statistics are like bikinis. What they
reveal is suggestive but what they conceal is vital.'

Well, Sunderland's vital statistics hardly make encouraging reading.

This was their eighth defeat in the last nine league matches at the Stadium Of Light, including four in succession.

Stur-crazy: Daniel Sturridge celebrates his first of the seaon

This was Chelsea's seventh successive
win on Wearside.At least South Korean Ji maintaining a scoring run
which included two for his country during the week prevented four on the
trot without a Sunderland goal.

It also sparked a hectic final three
minutes which, it must be said, disturbed Chelsea's composure for the
first time in the match. But to draw optimism from such a token flurry
would be to paper over undoubted cracks.

And yet for all of Chelsea's
territorial command, they still should have been a goal down in the 12th
minute when Nicklas Bendtner wasted a great opportunity to endear
himself to his new band of followers.

Bendtner has undoubted assets which
will aid Sunderland in his season's loan from Arsenal, but his big
weakness is his consistent failure to profit from his ability not only
to take up good positions but also to out-jump even the most formidable
central defensive opponent.

Non-starter: Torres had to make do with a place on the subs' bench

Cue the inswinging free-kick from
Seb Larsson which Bendtner got on the end of with such effect that he
only had Petr Cech to beat.

The goalkeeper, back in action after a
knee ligament injury, was mightily relieved when the striker guided the
ball wide of his right-hand post.

'Nick had a great chance and you have to take chances like that against Chelsea,' said Bruce.

That was the sum total of Cech's
anxiety for all but the last minute of the first half, when he reacted
quickly to deal with a shot on the turn from Stephane Sessegnon.

The time in between was a reflection
of the enormous chasm which stretches between the aspirations of the two
sides - Chelsea's passing and movement creating pressure and Sunderland
trying vainly to cope but looking bereft of ideas and inspiration.

A Chelsea goal seemed inevitable. It
came in the 17th minute when Lee Cattermole, never the shrinking violet,
dived in on Nicolas Anelka and brought him down.

Spanish connection: Torres came on as a late substitute for Juan Mata (left)

Anelka made the most of it but there was no doubt about the contact.

Juan Mata cracked the 25-yard free-kick against a post but Chelsea's reactions to the rebound were far more positive and, after John Terry's first cross was blocked, when the ball came back to him he squeezed it in from an acute angle, with Phil Bardsley succeeding only in making sure it went over the line.

Six minutes after half-time Daniel Sturridge made it two with a goal of superb individual talent.

First, he worried Wes Brown out of a long ball from Ramires and then, with Simon Mignolet also trying to crowd him, the striker's kind of side-footed backheel rolled into an empty net.

Bruce tried all manner of permutations and players without ever threatening until the late burst sparked by Ji's low right-footer after Bendtner had helped on a Larsson pass.

Consolation: Ji Dong-Won celebrates his first goals for Sunderland

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas said: 'It went very well for us in terms of what you want to achieve.'

He is clearly aware of the demands of
owner Roman Abramovich as far as a big prize is concerned and added: 'I
just have to focus on what the owner has told me. One of his obsessions
is to play well and that's what we try to do.

'We have only two days to rest before
the Leverkusen game in the Champions League, with Bayer having one day
extra to rest. And we have to focus on getting the three points before
going on to Valencia.'

Bruce said: 'It was very difficult
against a very good Chelsea team. They had terrific possession of the
ball and we used up a lot of energy trying to get it back.